Tank heater



Al1g- 8 1933 J. H. LUEDkE 1,921,683

TANK HEATER Filed Feb. 14, 1931 2 sheets-sheet 1 Juizw if Laad/re,

J. H. LUEDKE Aug. s, 1933.

TANK HEATER Filed Feb. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Juiz'u HLam/re.

Patented ug. 8, 1933 K I, l

UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE f TANK HEATER Julius H. `Luedke, Hartley, Iowa ApDlicationFebrua-y V14, 1931. Serial No. 515,839 2 claims. `(c1. 126-360) This invention relates to tank heaters, and has bustion chamber, and 4 the fuel and air delivery for one of its objects to provide a novel heater tube of the tank heater. The body 1 is of cy1in, of this character which shall be adapted to permit drical formation and disposed vertically, and the theuse of kerosene or other distillate as a fuel. flue 2 extends upwardly from the upper endl of` r 'I o attain the foregoing and other objects, the the body. The vaporizing and combustion cham- 60 55- the body, 2 the flue, 3 the vaporizing and comfor-a guard 19 for the upper end of the delivery -p nature of which will appear as the description ber 3 which is also of cylindrical formationa'nd proceeds, the invention comprehends the proviwhich is smaller diametrically than the bodyrl, is sion of a heater which shall embody a body adapthorizontally disposed, and has its rear .end 'fully ed to be immersed in the Water of a tank, a flue closed and its front end fully opened and in com- 1U extending from the body to a point above the surmunication with the lower end of the body l.r 65 face of the water, a fuel vaporizing and combus- The delivery tube 4 which is smaller diametrically tion chamber communicating with the body and than the vaporizingand oombustionchamber 3,] also adapted to be immersed in the water, and a occupies a downwardly and forwardly inclined tube adapted to extend from a point above the position, and has 'S 10We1 end arranged Within i l5 surface of the water to the vaporiaing and conithe real end pOlOIl 0f the Chamber. 70 bustion chamber and adapted to deliverfuel and The lupper end of the delivery tube 4 which is airtto said chamber. located in a piane above that in which the upper. v The invention further comprehends the proviend of the body l iS lOCated, iS entirely Open and sion of a heater of the character stated wherein the lower end of the delivery tube'is arranged 2G the rear end of the chamber shall, during the iniwith its axis at an'angle of about 45 to the'axis 75:.

tial operation of the heater, become heated sufof the vaporizing and combustion chamber.l The ciently to vaporize and ignite the fuel as it is delower portion of the lower end of the delivery livered thereto, and wherein the tube shall deliver tube 4 is open to provide a discharge port V5, and the fuel and air to such end of the chamber in a the closed upper portion 6 of this end of the tube U manner to effect the thorough vaporization of the constitutes a baille plat@-V The dsharge Dort 5 fuel and 4the thorough commingling of the vapor of the delivery tube 4 is located slightly above the and air. i bottom of the vaporizing and combustion `chamber The invention further comprehends the provi- 3 and slightly in advance of the rear end 7 of the sion of a heater of the character stated `wherein chamber. The bottom wall of the vaporizingand 39 the tube shall be adapted to deliver'the fuel to combustion chamber 3 isi provided with ribs 8" the bottom of the chamber at a point in advance which` are located forwardlyand rearwardly` of of the rear end of the chamber, and wherein the the discharge port 5 of the delivery tube. 4 and tube shall be adapted to deliver the air to the the space between the ribs 8 constitutes a fuel chamber in such manner as to force the fuel Well into which the lower end of the delivery tube 9 U5 rearwardly against said end of the chamber so as 4 extends. if i Vto effect the vaporization of the fuel and the comi A boss 9 is isecured to the deliverytube 4near mingling of the vapor and air. the upper end of the latter and it extends lateral- The invention is hereinafter more fully dely from the tube and communicates at its, inner scribed and claimed, and illustrated in the accomend with a fuel intake port 10 formed. inthe panying drawings, wherein:- f Y p tube. A needle valve 11 having a handle 12 is 95,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a tank secured to the boss 9 and provides means by Y heater constructed in accordance with my inwhich theamount of fuel entering the intake port vention. 10 may be regulated and controlled. A splitiring` Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tank heater. 13 having its end i4 thereof secured. tothe de- Figure 3 is asectional view taken on the plane livery tube, 4, extends upwardly` and forwardly 100 indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure2. y from the upper end of the tube, and constitutes Figure 4 is a sectional view takenon the plane a support` for a fuel tank 15. A pipe 16 extends indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1'. from the bottom of the fueltankl to the valve Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the'verti- 11, thetank being located above the needle valve cal` plane indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 3, so as to cause the fuel toflow by gravity from the 1.95 and former to the latter-L Theother` end 17 of the Figure 6 is a perspective view of the fuel guiding ring 13 is secured to the end 14' ofthe ring by a means for the fuel and air delivery tube. bolt 18 which, in addition to firmly clamping the n Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 designates ring about the fuel tank 15, serves as a'support 110 tube 4. The guard 19 spaced from the upper end of the delivery tube 4 to provide an annular air inlet port 20 for the tube.

the delivery tube 4. The conducting rod 21 has a hooked upper end 23 which engages the upper edge of the delivery tube 4 and removably supports the rod within the tube.

In practice, the heater is placed in a water tank with the body 1, the vaporizing and combustion chamber 3, and the lower end portion of the de'- livery tube 4 immersed in the water, and with the flue 2, the upper end of the delivery tube, and the fuel tank 15 located above the surface of the water. The rear end of the vaporizing and combustion chamber 3 is supported by a bracket 24 which is secured to the lower side of the charnber. The vaporizing and combustion chamber 3 is welded to the body l, the rear end 7 of the chamber is welded in place, the delivery tube 4 is welded to the chamber, and the ring13 is welded to the delivery tube. The valve ll is also located. above the surface of the water, and it is opened f until a starting supply of fuel is delivered. to the fuel well of the vaporizing and combustion cham ber 3. This supply of fuel is ignited to heat the rear end of the chamber 3 to a fuel vaporiaing degree, and then the valve ll is again opened. The fuel admitted to the delivery tube 4 flows through the discharge port 5 of the tube in te the bottom of the vaporizing and combustion chamber 3 where it is vaporized.

The air entering the'delivery tube 4 is directe by the baille 6 of the tube against the bottom wall ofthe vaporizing and combustion chamber 3 in a direction to cause it to 'move initially in the direction of the rear end 7 of the chamber and carry Y lthe fuel against such end. This end of the vapor izingY and combustion chamber 3 is heated to the vhighest degree, and in view thereof and as the n A, the air and vapor will be thoroughly commingled.

I have found by actual tests that the draft is as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3. seen that the baille 6 extends ydownward to a point intersecting the center line of draft or the axial center of the combustion chamber-3 and that the lower end ofthe bottom of pipe 4 is immersed in the fuel collected between the ribs 8. With this construction la largepart'of the flames are dis# charged upward and rearward at the rear of the delivery tube and then `move forward around the delivery tube heating its lower end. The burning commingled air and vapor flow forwardly between the rear end of the delivery tube 4 and the sides of the vaporiaing and combustion chamber 3 into the body 1 and from the body through the flue 2. The fuel conducting rod 21 is only employed when it is necessary to create a very high temperature in order to prevent the freezing of the water in the tank. The fuel conducting rod 21 is particularly adapted and usedv for the It will bey tirely removed.l It is not designed to be kept permanently in place in the position shown in Figure 3. When this is necessary the valve 11 is fully Y opened, and the fuel entering the delivery tube 4 is conducted by the rod 21 to the discharge port 5 of the tube, the fork 10 of the tube separating the fuel into two streams in order to enable it to be readily directed by the incoming air against the end plate 7 of the vaporizing and combustion chamber 3. When the rod 21 becomesheated it assists in vaporizing the fuel and also insures the free passage ofthe fuel in two streams through the delivery tube 4. n

AFrom the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it should be apparent that the heater is simple, durable and highly efficient, that it may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost, and

that it may be used for other purposes than heating water in tanks.

While I have described the principle of the in- Vention, together with the structure which I now consider the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that thek structure shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made, when desired, as fallwithin the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed isz- 1. A tank heater comprising a body provided with a stack, a substantially horizontal Vaporizing and combustion chamber opening at its'forward end into said body and having its rear end closed, a downwardly and forwardly inclined fuel and air delivery tube of smaller cross section than the ycross section of the combustion chamber, said tube extending at its lower end into the combustion chamber and having the Vlower extremity of its lower wall spaced from the bottom of the chamber and delivering fuel on to said bottom forward of the rear closed end of the chamber, the lower edge of the tube extending downward and rearward, a baffle extending across the upper portion of the lower end of the tube and directing the air discharged from the lower end of the tube downwardly and slightly rearwardly toward the, bot- Vtom of ythe combustion chamber, the chamberv having two upwardly projecting ribs on its bottom between which the extremity of the lower end` of the tube discharges, the ribs extending above the lower extremity of the lowest portion of the tube.

2. A tank heater comprising a body provided with a flue, a vapori'zing and combustion chamber communicating at its forward end with the body and having its rear end closed by a vertical end plate, a downwardly and forwardly inclined fuel and air delivery tube having its lower end extend-A ing into the chamber to deliver fuel to the bottom of the chamber in advance of the end plate, a 

